What Is a Drug Addiction?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. It causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the addicted person as well as the people around that person. The abuse of drugs -- even prescription drugs -- leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain.

For most people, the initial decision to take prescription drugs is voluntary. Over a period of time, however, changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse affect a person's self control and ability to make sound decisions. While this is going on, the person continues to experience intense impulses to take more drugs.

Which Prescription Drugs Are Commonly Abused?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the three classes of prescription drugs that are often abused include:

opioids used to treat pain

central nervous system (CNS) depressants used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders

stimulants used to treat and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder)

Cocaine Use and Its Effects

Cocaine
-- a high-priced way of getting high -- has a mystique. Called "the
caviar of street drugs," Cocaine is seen as the status-heavy drug of
celebrities, fashion models, and Wall Street traders.

The
reality of cocaine hits after the high. Cocaine has powerful negative
effects on the heart, brain, and emotions. Many cocaine users fall prey
to addiction, with long-term and life threatening consequences. Even
occasional users run the risk of sudden death with cocaine use. Read on
for the not-so-glamorous truth about cocaine use and its effects.

Coca, Cocaine, and Crack

Cocaine is a purified extract from the leaves of the Erythroxylum
coca bush. This plant grows in the Andes region of South America.
Different chemical processes produce the two main forms of cocaine:

Powdered
cocaine -- commonly known on the street as "coke" or "blow" --
dissolves in water. Users can snort or inject powdered cocaine.

Crack
cocaine -- commonly known on the street as "crack" or "rock" -- is made
by a chemical process that leaves it in its "freebase" form, which can
be smoked.

About
14% of U.S. adults have tried cocaine. One in 40 adults has used it in
the past year. Young men aged 18 to 25 are the biggest cocaine users,
with 8% using it in the previous 12 months.

Deep
in the brain, cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers --
neurotransmitters -- that nerves use to communicate with each other.
Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other
neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting chemical buildup
between nerves causes euphoria or feeling "high."

What's so great about being high on coke? Cocaine users often describe the euphoric feeling as:

an increasing sense of energy and alertness

an extremely elevated mood

a feeling of supremacy

On the other hand, some people describe other feelings tagging along with the high:

irritability

paranoia

restlessness

anxiety

Signs of using cocaine include:

dilated pupils

high levels of energy and activity

excited, exuberant speech

Cocaine's
immediate effects wear off in 30 minutes to two hours. Smoking or
injecting cocaine results in a faster and shorter high, compared to
snorting coke.

Physiological Effects of Cocaine

Cocaine produces its powerful high by acting on the brain. But as cocaine travels through the blood, it affects the whole body.

Cocaine
is responsible for more U.S. emergency room visits than any other
illegal drug. Cocaine harms the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs
-- and can even cause sudden death. Here's what happens in the body:

Heart.
Cocaine is bad for the heart. Cocaine increases heart rate and blood
pressure while constricting the arteries supplying blood to the heart.
The result can be a heart attack, even in young people without heart
disease. Cocaine can also trigger a deadly abnormal heart rhythm called
arrythmia killing instantly.

Brain.
Cocaine can constrict blood vessels in the brain, causing strokes. This
can happen even in young people without other risk factors for strokes.
Cocaine causes seizures and can lead to bizarre or violent behavior.

Gastrointestinal tract.
Cocaine constricts blood vessels supplying the gut. The resulting
oxygen starvation can cause ulcers, or even perforation of the stomach
or intestines.

Kidneys.
Cocaine can cause sudden, overwhelming kidney failure through a process
called rhabdomyolysis. In people with high blood pressure, regular
cocaine use can accelerate the long-term kidney damage caused by high
blood pressure.

Sexual function.
Although cocaine has a reputation as an aphrodisiac, it actually may
make you less able to finish what you start. Chronic cocaine use can
impair sexual function in men and women. In men, cocaine can cause
delayed or impaired ejaculation.

Benzodiazepine Abuse

Benzodiazepines
are a type of medication known as tranquilizers. Familiar names include
Valium and Xanax. They are some of the most commonly prescribed
medications in the United States. When people without prescriptions take
these drugs for their sedating effects, then use turns into abuse.

Doctors may prescribe a benzodiazepine for the following legitimate medical conditions:Benzodiazepines act on the central nervous system, produce sedation and muscle relaxation, and lower anxiety levels.

Anxiety

Insomnia

Alcohol withdrawal

Seizure control

Muscle relaxation

Inducing amnesia for uncomfortable procedures

Given before an anesthetic (such as before surgery)

They are usually classified by how long their effects last.

Ultra-short acting - Midazolam (Versed), triazolam (Halcion)

Short-acting - alprazolam (Xanax), lorazopam (Ativan)

Long-acting - Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), diazepam (Valium

Benzodiazepines
are commonly abused. This abuse is partially related to the toxic
effects that they produce and also to their widespread availability.
They can be chronically abused or, as seen more commonly in hospital
emergency departments, intentionally or accidentally taken in overdose.
Death and serious illness rarely result from benzodiazepine abuse alone;
however, they are frequently taken with either alcohol or other
medications. The combination of benzodiazepines and alcohol can be
dangerous.

Benzodiazepine Abuse Causes

Although
some people may have a genetic tendency to become addicted to drugs,
there is little doubt that environmental factors also play a significant
role. Some of the more common environmental influences are low
socioeconomic status, unemployment, and peer pressure.

Benzodiazepine Abuse Symptoms

At
normal or regular doses, benzodiazepines relieve anxiety and insomnia.
They are usually well tolerated. Sometimes, people taking
benzodiazepines may feel drowsy or dizzy. This side effect can be more
pronounced with increased doses.

High
doses of benzodiazepines can produce more serious side effects. Signs
and symptoms of acute toxicity or overdose may include the following:

Drowsiness

Confusion

Dizziness

Blurred vision

Weakness

Slurred speech

Lack of coordination

Difficulty breathing

Coma

Signs
of chronic drug abuse can be very nonspecific and include changes in
appearance and behavior that affect relationships and work performance.
Warning signs in children include abrupt changes in mood or
deterioration of school performance. Chronic abuse of benzodiazepines
can lead to the following symptoms that mimic many of the indications
for using them in the first place:Despite
their many helpful uses, benzodiazepines can lead to physical and
psychological dependence. Dependence can result in withdrawal symptoms
and even seizures when they are stopped abruptly. Dependence and
withdrawal occur in only a very small percentage of people taking normal
doses for short periods. The symptoms of withdrawal can be difficult to
distinguish from anxiety. Symptoms usually develop at 3-4 days from
last use, although they can appear earlier with shorter-acting
varieties.